Dexter

I spent the rest of the day catching up on Spell Construction. Amelia chose to sit the rest of the tutoring session out while Gremach and I went over the section on matter manipulation. We couldn't cover all of the materials he taught in class, but it was a start. Eventually, the sun sank low enough to warrant Gremach's departure from the barn. He waved goodbye as he left us to the rest of our studies and went home to do his own. I turned to the book on Basic Magic and began reading as Amelia began going through the box she'd brought. It was a basic Alchemical supply kit, complete with a miniature cauldron and enchanted stove. She reached over and grabbed the book on potions, flipping through it until she stopped and began working on the cauldron. We sat there while we busied ourselves with our respective tasks. Eventually, I got bored enough with reading about the histories of conjuring to turn to Amelia and ask what she was making. Her cauldron was bubbling softly and let out a puff as she put another ingredient in. “What's in the pot?” I asked.

Amelia shrugged as she began stirring. “It's a potion medium.” She explained. “This particular one is what they use to create a majority of their vitality potions. My teacher was very clear that he wanted me to have some for the next class.”

I nodded as I stood and stretched, joints emitting soft pops. “That's pretty interesting. Do you want some help?”

Amelia shook her head as she reached over and delicately pinched a bit more material into the cauldron. “I'm okay. This isn't that hard. It's just like cooking a meal. All I need is some time.”

I nodded as I walked over to another table and pulled out the book on Defensive Combat. “Well, let me know when that changes.” Amelia didn't reply, and I was too engrossed in the spell I'd chosen to notice any gestures she might have made. I walked back over to my table as I immediately became more interested in the spell I was reading and continued studying.

Our second day of school was much shorter. We only had two classes that day and we weren't planning on picking up any tutors for Combat Magic. Amelia looked around in amazement as we stepped into the courtyard and the murky yellow light. “They really went all out with this one.” She gasped. I nodded as we approached the group of orcs near the center. I turned To the pile of satchels and faltered as I noticed them lined up neatly, leaning on each other so that they'd stand upright. “That's . . . weird.” I followed their lead and leaned my backpack on the end of the line, walking over to the crowd as I looked at them apprehensively. They were speaking much quieter than the group I'd joined yesterday. A few of them kept glancing at the entrance as if waiting for something. Amelia naively turned to me as she smiled wide. “How ready do you think we are?” She asked. She probably hadn’t noticed the student’s behavior yet.

I glanced at the door as my instincts started to scream at me. “Not in the slightest,” I said, gently directing her towards the crowd.

Amelia suddenly looked around apprehensively. “What's wrong?” she asked hesitantly. Her eyes suddenly widened as she finally noticed the expressions on everyone’s face.

I remained stone-faced as I answered. I knew of only one other person that could get this reaction from their students. I did not enjoy taking her class in the slightest. “Not a pleasant teacher,” I replied. “Not pleasant and very strict, at least from what I can tell about their behavior.”

Amelia looked around at the other students and nodded. “Definitely unpleasant. I estimate a large build, clothing aligned, and treated almost perfectly. Probably came from a military background, or at least what they'd call a military. Might even be sporting a few scars, possibly causing partial blindness.”

It was my turn to look at her hesitantly. “How do you figure?”

Amelia gestured about as she replied. “We've chosen to stand in a less shaded area, where the branches don't droop as much. That means he's probably tall. The bags are organized as neatly as possible but not too neatly so that means he can't quite see them entirely. Additionally, there was a faint boot print on the door inside, likely caused when he lost his temper and was forced to privately scold one of the others. The shoe is large, further supporting the height hypothesis. The military background and scars are just a guess based on past experiences.”

I thought for a bit as she finished explaining. She was much more thorough with her explanation. She practically gave me an entire description to work with. I saw no reason to refute her explanation though so I nodded as I turned back to the entrance. “I guess that makes sense. I'd be surprised if you're right about all of those things though.”

Amelia let out a sigh as she turned to stare at me. “Let’s hope I’m at least wrong about something. The full combination doesn’t bode well for us.”

I nodded as I lifted my hands to my head in surrender. “Alright, fair enough. Just stay calm and react appropriately. If this guy ends up hating us we don't want to get on his worse side.” Amelia nodded as she turned back to the door. We stood there in silence for a good ten minutes, a few more students walking in during that time. It was practically torturous to wait and see the kind of person we were about to meet. Finally, the door was pushed open again and in walked the largest orc I'd ever seen. His dark hair was short and tied into a familiar top knot. His fluffy black shawl was covering his entire torso and a near mirror on both sides, with straps crisscrossing his chest. A ragged scar crossed over his right eye, a murky brown that still held the fire burning behind it. The only thing that didn't match was the youth his face displayed. It looked about thirty years behind what you'd expect from an experienced war veteran, facial hair lacking any and all hints of grey. The other students immediately fell into a military-esque line, shoulder to shoulder staring straight ahead. Amelia and I filled in on the end, watching with apprehension as our teacher made his way across the courtyard.

His voice boomed along the walls as he walked. “Alright, Maggots. The Respite Has Ended And I Intend To Get All Of You Ready For Battle Before Then. We Shall Begin With Ten Laps Around The-” He faltered as he saw the line of satchels, my backpack towering over the end. He walked over to it as he spoke. “Who Has The Audacity To Place Their Bag So Recklessly? When I Find Out I-” He stopped as he lifted it and saw what it was. He stared at it for a minute then slowly lowered it as he looked out at us. “I should have known Garahk would stick the outsiders with me.” He slowly walked towards us, scanning the line as he did. He stopped when he spotted me and Amelia on the end and started walking towards us. His cold calculating gaze seemed to go right through us. He finally stopped a few feet in front of us and continued looking between the two of us. His voice carried deadly daggers that were pointed directly at us. “I will not reserve myself in front of you.” He growled. “I do not consider your people to be particularly trustworthy nor honorable. There is no denying the deeds you, in particular, have done, but that is not grounds to assume all of you are the same way. All you have done is inform me you might be more trustworthy than Him and that is not saying much. I have yet to see if you can be trusted with much more than a pointed stick.” He then leaned closer, his murky eye appearing to peel at my very soul. “Rest assured that I will be watching you closely for any sign of treachery and will come down upon you like a falcon on a field mouse should I deem it necessary.” He stared at me for a moment, his eyes not breaking from mine. I swallowed nervously as I chose to keep silent. There was no point in angering him at all. He then turned to the rest of the line and shouted. “Twenty Laps Around The Courtyard. And I Do Not Want To See Any Of You Slacking.”

The rest of the line responded with a resounding “Sir Yes Sir!” and broke off to run laps. The teacher gestured for us to follow and moved to put my backpack with the other bags. We complied and followed the others to the edge of the courtyard, turning and jogging along a beaten path once we reached the walls. We fell into a rhythm as we jogged, staying at the back of the pack and allowing the orcs to set the pace.

“That went better than expected.” Amelia panted. Her hair bouncing along as she ran. I nodded as I glanced towards the center of the courtyard. He was staring intently at the group, eyes seeming to stare directly at me and Amelia. “He's probably far-sighted.” Amelia suddenly said, noticing where my attention was directed.

I glanced at her then turned to face forward. “How do you figure?” I panted curiously.

“He keeps his distance, even with a face to face confrontation. Normally you could chalk that up to personal space, but the military background is now clear. Since the military tends to squeeze troops in as close as possible, he probably has another reason to keep his distance. The first thing people tend to do to get comfortable is to get a good view of their situation. Applying that heuristic law here means he can't see so well up close. Ergo he's far-sighted. The laps are probably how he takes attendance. It's the only time he can distinguish the faces of everyone here.”

I nodded as we continued jogging. “Makes sense. Though I am surprised you got the scar right.”

Amelia shrugged as we met the corner and turned to continue jogging. “The scar was just a guess. A lot of people from the military tend to get scars during their deployment. I figured the same thing could apply here.”

I nodded as I glanced at him again. His eyes seemed to never leave us. The murky one, in particular, appeared to track our every movement. “I wonder why he wasn't in the Institute to begin with. If he turned out to be a teacher he must be pretty good at magic. So why did he go into the military first?”

The orc in front of us piped up and answered my question. “He did not know of his abilities until well into his career as a soldier, at least from what I heard.” I tilted my head slightly as I stared at the back of his head.

I asked my question when I realized he couldn't see my curiosity. “Is that so?”

The orc nodded and continued. “It was long before He arrived, back when Almar would send raiding parties across the border most frequently. One such party was attacking a nearby village. Dumag was just a young soldier back then and in the local fort when the signal pyre was lit. He was sent down with the other troops along with a message to Snakhagr for reinforcements. No one knows for certain what happened, but sometime during the battle, he came bursting from a building, roaring the foulest of obscenities and charging at a group of elves. The blood that spilled next was entirely evlen and almost exclusively spilled by him. He displayed a ferocity not common, even amongst soldiers. He managed to defeat the group and move onto another. Then another and another. Unfortunately, his energy started to fail him and he received a devastating blow, one that cut deep into his face. He collapsed and had to be dragged to safety. He was delirious as the mages arrived and started tending to him, but in a final display of rage, he repaired his injury, closing the gash without incantation or gesture and making the scar you see today. After that he attempted to return to battle and had to be held back, energy stores completely drained, to be healed by the mages. I heard he passed out shortly after and several times afterward. Once he was strong enough to truly awaken Garahk offered to teach him back at the Institute. He took her up on the offer and has been here ever since.” I glanced at Amelia as he finally finished his story. I had to admit it sounded eerily similar to what happened to me. “A lot of rage-induced magic going on. I wonder if there's a connection. I'll have to look into that.”

I glanced over at Dumag at I felt his eyes still trained on us. He continued to stare through the trees as we rounded another corner and kept jogging, more orcs falling towards the back now. Meanwhile, Amelia and I felt like we were going at a mild pace in comparison. I turned to her as I felt my legs finally starting to warm up. “What do you think?” I asked curiously.

Amelia shrugged as she continued to stare ahead. “I don't know what to make of it.” She admitted. “Judging from how much the orcs trust their authority I'm surprised he's so calm. You did the same thing, but with a larger group of orcs. I kind of figured out the whole Champion thing and the lack of a spotted shawl means he isn't one. If he truly hated you he probably would have kicked us out of his class, what with you being an outsider and a Champion. It's like being slapped in the face then punched in the stomach. You'd expect him to hold a little bit of resentment for not receiving a title of his own.”

The orc in front of us shook his head and spoke again. “That is what is terrifying about him. He has a disregard for the hierarchy. He finds titles to be pointless and meaningless and not a true measure of one's capabilities. It merely verifies that many have agreed that you are deserving of this title. He made that abundantly clear when the class first started.” I glanced at Dumag again, his eyes still staring intently at the group of jogging students. He had replaced my backpack and had yet to turn in a direction that wasn't facing us.

I directed my head back to the front as my attention returned to jogging. “That certainly complicates him,” I remarked. “Then again, I guess we would meet someone like that at some point.”

Amelia nodded as we rounded the next corner. “That just begs the question, what did he experience that made him like this?” I nodded as we continued jogging along the path, slowly making the disparity in stamina between orcs and humans more and more apparent.

We ended up leading the pack at the end of the twenty laps. We were breathing heavily, but that was nothing compared to the panting orcs trailing behind us. After what felt like an eternity we finally finished the twentieth lap and slowly walked back to the center of the courtyard. Dumag scowled down at us as we panted in front of him, the other orcs slowly limping to join us. “Congratulation, Troops. You Wisely Ran From A Battle Where You Depleted Your Mana Reserves. Unfortunately, You Were Followed By The Enemy And Must Now Defend Yourself Against Them. Fortunately, They Also Ran From The Battlefield And Are Equally Exhausted As You Are. Now Pair Up And Begin Sparring. I Will Have Another Lesson For You When I Am Assured You Have Not Been Slacking.” The orcs nodded weakly and began pairing up, beginning to slowly cast spells at each other as the last of their energy was drained. That left me and Amelia to pair up with each other.

“This is going to be interesting,” Amelia remarked, moving to an open area of the courtyard. “We haven't sparred with each other yet. I wonder how we’d fare against each other.”

I nodded I stretched my arms, warming them up. “In a pure fisticuffs match there's no question who'd win, but with magic that adds an air of uncertainty to the outcome.”

Amelia grinned as she fell into a stance, similar to the ones I’d seen Bulak take up when she sparred with me. “I don't know. With the right pressure points, even the strongest man could fall. Brains over brawn, remember?”

I grinned and shrugged as I fell into my own stance, similar to the boxers I’d seen back home, and stared at her. “That's assuming brawn has no brain. If the man knows quite a bit about fighting, then he'll know to guard those soft points.” Amelia nodded as she remained there for a minute, likely waiting for me to make the first move. I complied by stepping forward and casting Mudball, twisting and slinging it forward like the dripping ball it was. Amelia sidestepped and responded with WaterJet, causing a stream of water to come barreling towards me. I gestured quickly and caused an angled barrier to materialize in front of me, deflecting the water upwards. When the stream died I let the shield dissipate and quickly went through the gestures for Move Earth, causing a small stump of ground to burst beneath my feet and thrust me forward. I used the burst to close the gap between us and swing my leg towards her torso. I ended up going a little high and Amelia was able to duck beneath my swinging foot. I came back down and continued my angular momentum, turning to elbow her. I suddenly felt her fingers jab into my shoulder and my arm began to spasm. I retreated a few steps as I clenched up my arm and saw Amelia grinning wide.

“Brain over brawn,” Amelia repeated, holding up the index and middle finger she'd used to jab.

I grinned back as the spasms finally died and I regained control over my arm. “Then let's give brawn a little brain.” I quipped back. I gestured again and caused the barrier to rematerialize. I then cast Move Earth and repeated my previous movement, launching forward and charging in a bashing fashion. I saw Amelia's eyes go wide as she gestured wildly. She was suddenly launched up impossibly high, foot clipping the top of the shield and causing her to flip in the air. She landed with a hard oof as I skidded to a stop behind her. I turned and looked at her in amazement as she crawled to her feet, coughing. “What the hell was that?” I asked.

Amelia let out a few more coughs before answering. “cough cough A spell called Hop. I learned it from the mana manipulation book. It's one of the ways they teach how mana can be used in spells.”

I nodded as I made a mental note to learn that particular spell at some point. “That certainly gives you the mobility advantage,” I noted, carefully aiming my shield towards her. Amelia nodded as she wiped herself off. “Though that's neutralized with a simple tactic.”

Amelia tilted her head and grinned as she turned to me. “And what's that?” She asked challengingly.

I responded by casting Move Earth once more, thrusting me forward, and causing the barrier to go slamming into her. She was knocked back onto the ground and let out another pained grunt. “The element of surprise,” I said slyly. I briefly grinned before Amelia started coughing as she struggled to climb to her feet. “Shit that was too much. Here let me help.” I let the shield dissipate again and helped her up. Amelia continued to cough for a minute as she placed her hands on her knees. “Dumbass Dumbass Dumbass. You always take things too seriously.” “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you so hard. Are you alright?”

Amelia nodded as she coughed a few more times. “I only got the wind knocked out of me.” She gasped weakly. “I'll be fine, I just need a minute.” I gently slapped her back as she coughed a few more times.

Dumag's voice suddenly radiated from somewhere to my right. “I Commend You On The Effort, But Creative Spell Use Was The First Month's Subject. Today, We Are Meant To Learn About Controlling Spells, So That Situations Like That Never Arises.” I glanced up as he approached. He stopped in front of us and roughly grabbed Amelia by the shoulder, standing her up and pressing his fingers into her midriff. She let out a relieved sigh and stopped coughing, prompting Dumag to let go and allow her pant for a few minutes.

I looked up at him as a sense of relief and unease washed over me. “Thanks,” I muttered, trying to be as sincere as possible.

Dumag nodded as he glanced around at the other students. “That Will Be Enough Of A Warm Up For Today, Fall In Line and Pay Attention.” The others nodded and reformed the line they had at the start of the class. Amelia and I followed suit as Dumag began pacing in front of us. He suddenly gestured with his hand and caused an illusion spell to materialize, beginning his lecture about measured responses.

Dumag ended up covering quite a bit. After the lecture, he had a brief demonstration, then paired us up with one another. He had us mock spar again, this time limiting our mana output so that we'd merely capture or incapacitate instead of killing our opponent. Amelia and I didn't know enough spells to do much more than mild harm, but it still allowed us to watch a few new spells being cast. By the time we left the courtyard, we knew about mana bolts and manasheets. I let out another breath as I reached back and pulled out my schedule again. “Just one more class.” I sighed.

Amelia nodded as she checked her schedule. “I better get up to my class. I'll see you back at the barn.” I nodded and waved her off as she turned and left to make her way upstairs. I, in kind, went towards the infirmary for my class on Restoration magic. I used the map to guide my way as I walked through the rooms. Eventually, I pushed open a door and stepped into a room filled with empty beds. A small group of orcs was sitting in various chairs in a circle at the center of the room.

I walked over and joined them as they voiced a greeting. “I had hoped you would end up in one of my classes.” One of them said. “Your presence at the Institute spread like a wildfire.”

I nodded as I glanced around at the empty beds. “Well, here I am. I hope I didn't miss anything crucial.”

A few of the orcs shook their head. “The spells we use are all within the tome for the class. If you truly wanted to you could learn them on your own. The only thing that is not included is how to identify the correct spell to use and how to conserve energy when many need healings. Though I hesitate to think how you will be able to catch up.”

I nodded as I glanced at the door. “Well, I'll figure it out. I'm not about to let some lost time slow me down.” The orcs nodded and seemed about to say something when the door opened again, feeding an orc in a bright yellow shawl into the room.

He was just a bit shorter than average. His shiny black hair was pulled into a ponytail and his bright green eyes display a comforting warmth I didn't get to see often. He had a satchel slung over his shoulder, packed with books to the point of bursting. “Good morning class.” He said as he walked towards the circle. He stopped as he noticed me sitting amongst them. “It seems we have a new student.” He said, smiling at me as he walked into the circle. “Good morning. I am Welub and I am glad I could have the pleasure of teaching you.”

I nodded and waved at him as I replied. “Well, they say you have to be prepared for anything. Considering how many people have beaten me up since I got here, I thought I might as well prepare for failures.”

Welub grinned wider and nodded as he set his satchel down on an empty chair. “Most wise. Given that you have only just been introduced to the realm of magic, I assume you are lacking in many fields we find to be common sense.”

I nodded as I pulled one of the binders and a half use pen out of my pack. “I do, but I intend to change that.”

He nodded again as he glanced around at the other students. “Well then, I suppose I shall start with my lecture. Spring is approaching which means expeditions from the Institute will resume. So, we'll soon have plenty of people to demonstrate certain techniques. Until then, I must cover the technique to reset and repair broken bones. Next week I shall cover how to make a basic healing draft. I will also expect you to make up any homework that was covered over the term.” I nodded and started writing notes down as he began his lecture with enthusiasm.

I let out a sigh as I pushed open the barn door and stepped in. I saw Amelia sitting at a table, reading over one of the spellbooks we had. I set my bag down and walked over as I stretched. “Sorry again about hitting you with that barrier. I kind of got a little too into the fight.”

Amelia waved dismissively at me. “It's not that big a deal. Besides, you gave me a few ideas about using spells. I never thought about Move Earth as a launching platform.”

I nodded as I sat in a chair beside her and pulled out one of the spellbooks. “It's cool, but killer on the legs. I'd probably be better off learning Hop and using that to dash forward. That's probably what I'll end up doing anyway, at least until I learn some more flexible spells.” Amelia nodded as she continued to study the page. I flipped through my own as I thought back to Dumag's lecture. “Do you want to go through the combat spellbook together later? We can try and practice some of the spells on each other. We can make it like a study session.”

Amelia shook her head as she ran her finger down the page. “I'm okay. I can study on my own.”

I stared at her for a minute then shrugged as I turned back to my book. “Suit yourself.” I began reading as the sun slowly sank lower in the sky.

The next couple of weeks were a blur of learning spells and studying. Assignment after assignment was done as Amelia and I slowly caught up to where the others had been all this time. We learned a variety of spells and techniques in the process. I couldn't master them, but it was enough time to memorize a new list of spells and reliably cast them. I even knew enough to use Hop to get up and down from the loft of the barn. Throughout the time, Amelia and I use page after page, quickly eating through a stack of notebook paper in the course of that time. I would eventually need to find a shop to replace said paper. For now, this was all we had.

Eventually, though, it was time for me to crack open the autoclave and look at the resulting crystal. I gently set the last vise-clamp down as the autoclave let out a small hisssss, releasing the last of the pressure leftover from a month of isolation. I carefully lifted the lid off and looked into the cauldron. A clear Quartz crystal stared back, flat faces glistening slightly as the last of the acid dripped back into the cauldron. I grabbed a spare shirt and wiped down the crystal as I pulled the wire out of it, leaving a looped hole on the far end. I hefted the Quartz slightly as I glanced at the wire. A bit of the wire had thinned out, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I then turned and examined the crystal. It was now about the size of a baseball, faces similar to one of those many-sided dice you'd see in a few board games. The light refracting through it gave off flecks of color, divots in the faces each receiving their own transparent shade of light. I set the crystal down as I used the shirt to wipe off the rubber seal. I then tossed the used cloth onto a nearby table and eyed the crystal again. There was a hypnotic beauty to it. How I made it and what it represented for the scientific research behind it was astounding. It probably would've taken the orcs several more generations to even come close to scratching the surface of this phenomenon. I felt myself grinning as I continued to admire the rock. “Today we might use this as a paperweight, but to the orcs, this is the very pinnacle of outsider magic. If you didn't know the scientific theories behind it, one could actually call it magic.”

I finally stood and stretched as I glanced towards the door. The darkness seemed to be seeping through the cracks in the boards. A few crickets could be heard from beyond the woods chirping in the night. I glanced at Amelia. Her head was buried in another spellbook, probably reading up on another alchemical recipe. “She's definitely better at studying for long periods. I doubt I'd be able to say still for long enough to stay that focused.” I let out another sigh as I stretched my neck, causing a small popping sound to emanate from my spine. I walked over and looked down at the book she was reading. “Want some help?” I offered.

Amelia shook her head as she rubbed her eyes. “I'm good. I just need some time. If I let you help I won't learn on my own.”

I stared at her quizzically. “Are you sure? It's not going to take away from your studies. Hell, the only way that would be possible is if I did your work for you. And I know nothing about Alchemy, which is going to suck when I have to make that vitality potion for homework.”

Amelia shook her head firmly. “That's alright. I can figure it out on my own.”

I paused for a minute then shrugged as I moved over to my own spellbook. “Well, don't be afraid to ask for help. I'm willing to give it if you need it.” Amelia waved me off as I sat in the chair. I shrugged again as I leaned over and reviewed the gestures for Impact. My brief studies were interrupted as the barn door was pulled open and Bulak stepped through.

She grinned as she closed the door behind her and walked over. “Good evening. I was hoping to catch you two awake. There has been another development that you must be made aware of.” She paused as she noticed the quartz resting on the table. “Is this the crystal?” She asked curiously, walking over and gently handling the stone.

I nodded as Bulak examined the rock, taking careful interest in the lights glinting through it. “That is the culmination of about a month's worth of work. I also have a moderately rough plan to make several more of the device I used to make that. Now it's just a matter of time before the Institute has storerooms full of flawlessly clear quartz.”

Bulak nodded as she slowly turned the crystal, admiring the way it glinted in the light of the nearby orbs. “I have never seen anything so beautiful. Were this not meant for the Institute, I would take it for myself.”

I let out a small laugh as I stretched slightly. “I could probably arrange one made for you. This device will end up flooding the market with these crystals. So, I should be able to get a couple of spare crystals for you.”

Bulak paused then shook her head as she set the crystal back down. “I would appreciate that, but this is not the reason for my visit. You will need to make yourselves discreet for the foreseeable future.” This is the phrase that pulled Amelia from her studies and caused her to pay attention. “The merchants will be arriving on the morrow. It would be unwise to reveal your presence to them. My father has already commanded the city to remain silent about your existent. You merely need to avoid interacting with the merchants during their stay.”

I tilted my head as I realized what she was saying. “I thought the merchants were supposed to arrive weeks ago. Why are they only just arriving now?”

Bulak nodded as she gestured towards the door. “The mountain passes were still laden with snow. They had to wait for the snow to clear before they could traverse. It delayed them quite a while.”

Amelia suddenly asked her question before I could ask my next one. “Are we being kept in the barn again? We have classes to attend.”

Bulak shook her head as she gestured calmingly. “That may raise suspicion if we guarded this building so closely. No, my father is trusting you to actively avoid the merchants when they arrive. You may go wherever you wish, so long as it does not reveal yourself to them.”

This time I was the one to ask the question first. “How long will they be staying?”

Bulak shrugged as she glanced at the door. “A few weeks, a month at most. They would stay longer, but they only packed so many supplies. They have already traded some of their goods with the outer villages for food. They will stay in the city and restock some of their supplies, then head out once Morug has finished.”

I nodded as I went through a mental list of potential dangers. “Even if they're okay with my presence here, they might leak it to the rest of Varthug. Which will damage Gashur's reputation amongst the other tribes.”

Bulak nodded, seemingly grateful that I understood the severity of the situation. “You will still be allowed to attend your classes at the Institute, but as an added precaution you will be escorted along a certain path so that you are not spotted by any of the merchants.”

I grinned to myself as I turned back to Bulak. “It sounds like you're offering your help with this matter. Am I correct?”

Bulak let out a small laugh and shook her head. “Sadly, I have my duties to attend to. Many of which include interacting with the merchants. I will not be able to escort you. Instead, I have arranged a guard duty for the task. You will, of course, be required to enter and exit the Institute together so that they will not have to cross the city over and over again throughout the day.”

I let out a disappointed sigh. “Aww. And here I thought we'd get to see you a bit more. Still, thanks for warning us. We'll be sure to stay out of their way for the time being.”

Bulak nodded, then began walking towards the door. “I wish you luck. For once, try not to draw attention to yourself.” I grinned and nodded as Bulak finally turned and left the barn, closing the door with a soft boom.

I stretched and turned to Amelia. “Well, that's an interesting development,” I remarked. “Hopefully none of the merchants come up this way and think to look in the barn.”

Amelia nodded as she rubbed her eyes again. “On one hand you should be glad they're here. They might be able to give you the materials and resources you wouldn't get otherwise. On the other hand, you can't go anywhere near them or else you'll basically nuke whatever chances you had of uniting the tribes.”

I nodded as I glanced at the crystal resting on the table. “Don't worry. We can manage. Besides, anything I could get from them would end up being about as useful as my car. Sure, I have a practically futuristic car, but it requires resources that I don't know how to make yet. I could just say fuck it and scrap it, but that's also a limited resource. Plus, I don't know any of the efficient scraping methods. I'd have to invent those or figure out another way of breaking the car down into its raw materials. That's not even considering the fact that the car is still more useful to me intact than in pieces. The real challenge as-” I stopped as I noticed Amelia staring at me. I muttered a small curse and began rubbing my eye. “Shit, sorry. I'm was starting to ramble. Talking just kind of helps me keep the pieces in order. Not to mention make me feel better about the odds of whatever I'm planning.”

Amelia nodded as she stood and moved over to grab another spellbook. “Don't sweat it. We all have coping mechanisms for stress. You just got to know not to constantly rely on it for relief.” I nodded as I turned back to my book and continued reading. I scratch my chin as I was starkly reminded of the beginnings of a beard that was starting to grow on it. “Note to self, either invent a razor or settle on the orc's method of shaving. Either way, deal with the hair.”